Most of the cats in the Red Zone are either lost or abandoned. If we can’t reunite them with their owners, we need to find these special cats forever homes. These cats make affectionate and loyal pets. Please contact us if you would like to help find a home for any of the cats we have at the moment.

Unfortunately, we only have limited resources to house these cats, so without people willing to adopt a cat, we will be unable to rescue more from the Red Zone.

Teazle and her brother Weazle have always been gentle, never biting or scratching, and we haven’t heard a hiss for a long time. Teazle has been confident with people from the very start, despite being born wild. She has a magnificent long fluffy tail, a reliable purr, and loves cuddles. She plays riotous chasing games with her brother, loves Whiskas Temptations, and we think she will be a good mouser.

FEMALE

Teazle

Weazle is relatively shy and is still learning to stand his ground when approached. He loves his cuddles though, and pops straight into his ‘pod’ when we offer it to him, after which we gently pull him out to sit on our knee. Weazle is playful, mischievous and very intelligent. He has a striking russet mane, and his favourite treat is vanilla icecream! If he hears you scraping the bottom of your bowl, his head pops up beside you like a meerkat!

MALE

Weazle

Hazel was a very young Mum, having raised two kittens under one of the last abandoned buildings in the Dallington/Burwood red zone when we first found her. We trapped the whole family and gave them their own room at the Rose St shelter. Now, Hazel is very smoochy and likes a lot of affection – although she is still a little shy with new people. This is normal for cats who have been socialised as adults.

FEMALE

Hazel

Bunny was homeless in Bexley for a long time after all the people left. We heard about her when the last buildings in the area were about to be demolished. She was too timid to allow us to put her into a carry box so we had to trap her. However, Bunny has clearly had a home at one time and is friendly with both humans and cats.

FEMALE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER LEXA

After Cassius entered the shelter he soon became affectionate with people he saw regularly. He is gradually becoming more confident with new faces, and is good with other cats. Otto has taught Cassius a wide range of miaows! Cassius is not too sure when is the right time to miaow, and currently he even miaows while eating, to be on the safe side!

MALE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER LEXA

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We watched Loki for over a year at feeding stations in the red zone, and trapped him just before the last houses were demolished. He is about 4 years old. Loki has the affectionate nature shared by all ‘red zone all blacks’ once they have been socialised, and he loves to sit on a knee purring contentedly. Loki is very popular with other shelter cats, particularly unsocial females. These shy girls learn by observing Loki’s affectionate behaviour with humans, making him a valued member of the shelter community.

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Loki

Minty

Minty is one of a family of originally unsocial cats who lived at the edge of the red zone and relied on Alison, a kind local lady, for meals. Mum Belle and her kittens had been desexed during a trap-neuter-return programme. When Alison learned that she had to move to a smaller Council flat in another area she was very concerned about the fate of the cats, and approached redzonecats for help.

Following the Canterbury earthquakes in 2010 and 2011, the ‘residential red zone’ was created in eastern Christchurch. Thousands of people had to leave their homes. As a result, many cats were abandoned and left to fend for themselves.

These cats are rarely seen, but are hiding everywhere. Most are hungry and afraid. Some are in pain. Many had homes once, but were lost during the earthquakes, or when people moved away. Others are the offspring of lost and feral cats and have never had a home.